The Southern California Garrison 501st Legion invaded Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade sponsored by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. The parade drew a large crowd of spectators on a clear and warm Saturday morning.

He’s known as the patron saint of Ireland, but many of the things associated with St. Patrick are legend and lore, rooted more in myth than fact.

No, St. Patrick did not drive the snakes out of Ireland. Nor was he Irish. Truth be told, he was never formally made a saint.

And how a man who preached piety became the cause of unabashed revelry is anyone’s guess.

Yet as his day dawns — a day also never formally made a holiday — we look at seven things about St. Patrick’s Day.

WHO WAS ST. PATRICK?

Some scholars say he was from Scotland, others say he was British. A recent theory claims he was French. Regardless, most sources agree he was brought to Ireland as a slave sometime in the 5th century and made to tend livestock.

After about six years, he escaped and went home, where he took religious training and became a priest. Patrick returned to Ireland in middle age as a missionary and was quite successful. Most sources say he was never formally canonized by the Catholic church. The holiday that bears his name marks the date of his death, thought to be around 461.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SHAMROCK

Possibly the stuff of myth because the first written reference to it came in the 18th century, long after the saint’s death. The legend is that St. Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock — believed to be a green flowering clover — to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity.

Botanists, however, have never agreed on which species of clover it is.

THE ORIGIN OF ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATIONS

Originally a religious feast day, Irish families attended church in the morning and shared a meal of Irish bacon and cabbage — a temporary waiver of the Lenten fast — in the afternoon.

The first parade, and still largest, was in 1762 — in New York City, not Ireland. Homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through the city streets. Other cities, including Boston, Chicago and Savannah, Georgia, host parades and revelry on various days around March 17. Chicago’s parade includes dyeing the Chicago River an emerald green.

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

As with many of today’s St. Patrick’s Day trappings, the “traditional” Irish meal originated in America, according to experts cited by the New York Times and Smithsonian.com.

Traditionally, working-class Irish would more likely have eaten bacon than beef, since cows were primarily used for field labor and milk. A potato blight and resulting widespread famine in the late 1840s led many Irish to emigrate to the U.S., where beef was available. In New York, corned beef was sold as street food and by Jewish delis, according to the History channel’s website.

As St. Patrick’s Day became a popular holiday in the U.S. in the 20th century, corned beef and cabbage was the meal associated with it. It has since been exported.

A LUCKY LEPRECHAUN

The tiny tricksters are believed to come from tales about water spirits called “luchorpán,” which translates to “small body,” according to Irish news source Irish Central, which cites “The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures,” by John and Caitlin Matthews.

Legend says that if one is successful in catching a leprechaun, he will exchange his freedom for three wishes. They are often depicted wearing green and it is believed that if one sees you not wearing similar clothing, he’ll pinch you. People tend to disregard their sense of personal space on March 17 and pinch strangers in honor of that myth.

WEARING OF THE GREEN

There are lots of explanations about why St. Patrick’s Day took on the color green.

One frequently cited theory is that the holiday was originally linked with the color blue, but green became more associated with the island — Ireland is referred to as the Emerald Isle because of its rich green landscape — so it was ultimately a better fit.

GOING TO CHURCH

If you live in Southern California, there are two Catholic churches named in honor of St. Patrick.

St. Patrick Catholic Church in Moreno Valley is having a talent show and potluck to honor its namesake at 6 p.m., Saturday, March 18. Guests are encouraged to bring their favorite dish. The church is at 10915 Pigeon Pass Road, Moreno Valley.

For those closer to Los Angeles, St. Patrick Catholic Church is at 1046 E. 34th St., Los Angeles.

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